Odisha: BJD, Congress demand CM & Dy CM's resignation over minor girl set on fire; victim shifted to AIIMS Delhi

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 20 (ANI): The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged protests against Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, including burning her effigy, following the horrific incident of a minor girl being set on fire in Nimapara, Puri district, on Saturday.
The 15-year-old victim, who suffered 70% burn injuries, is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and is in critical condition.
She is being airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for advanced treatment on Sunday.
BJD MLA Tusharkanti Behera condemned the incident, stating, "It's quite unfortunate what happened to the minor girl student of Nimapara, a constituency whose leader is Deputy CM Pravati Parida. We pray that the girl will recover quickly. Therefore, the government should step down."
BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar expressed outrage, saying, "This is extremely unfortunate. A 16-year-old girl who was going to deliver books to her friend was set on fire yesterday by three criminals at Nimapara, Deputy CM Pravati Parida's constituency. She is also the Minister for Women and Child Development. We are all demanding her resignation. Moreover, the three culprits have not been caught to date. We suspect that the Deputy CM herself has been protecting these criminals. We demand presidential rule in Odisha, and an emergency should be imposed because the BJP government has completely failed to safeguard the interests of Odia women."
BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty highlighted the deteriorating law and order situation, stating, "Right now, Odisha is in a state of shock. Within a span of just 7 to 10 days, two gruesome incidents have taken place. One occurred at FM College, where a girl, despite being associated with ABVP, did not receive the institutional support she needed and ultimately ended her life. The other happened just a day ago in Puri, where a girl from a minority community, specifically a Muslim, was burnt alive. What makes it even more disturbing is that the girl belonged to the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, yet she was not able to ensure her safety or protection. We visited AIIMS and were shocked by the behaviour of the police and the administration."
BJD MLA Susant Kumar Rout said, "Our only demand is that the victim's health receives the most attention, and she recovers soon. If she is not getting enough care, she should be airlifted to another location. The government has now accepted our demands, and the airlifting is currently underway. The AIIMS director also signalled the same. We hope the victim will return soon after recovering. What's more sad is that so many hours have passed, yet the perpetrators are still nowhere to be found by the police. The government has failed in this. Even the leader whose constituency is Nimapara has not come so far."
The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Balanda police station in the Nimapada block of Puri district. According to her cousin, the 15-year-old girl, who had gone out with friends, was abducted and taken to the riverside, where she was set on fire by unidentified miscreants. Severely burnt, she managed to reach a nearby house from where she was rushed to the hospital.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with former Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik calling it a symptom of "systemic failure of governance" in Odisha.
Meanwhile, Congress also demand the resignation of CM Mohan Majhi and Dy CM Pravati Parida over the incident.
Congress leader Sashmita Behera said, "This is an unfortunate incident. I learned that the victim will be airlifted... We demanded that the minor girl receive the best treatment so she can recover soon. We are concerned about her health..The government has been unable to catch those who set the victim ablaze, despite Nimapara being a deputy CM's constituency. This is a serious concern for the state. The law and order situation is in disarray... CM Mohan Majhi and Dy CM Pravati Parida should resign."
Congress leader Ashok Kumar Das said that the government is doing an airlift for 'publicity purpose', said, "They are doing an airlift just for publicity purposes; they did it to divert attention from the issue. They know that, because of this incident, the government's image is slowly being tarnished. This government is not sensitive enough towards the victims." (ANI)